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'Bhuvi, Arshdeep the first two...': Australia great picks 3rd pacer between Shami, Harshal for India-Pakistan T20 WC tie
With India likely to go in with three pacers in Australia for the T20 World Cup, the toss-up is going to be between Harshal Patel and Mohamed Shami as the third seamer.
Injuries to Jasprit Bumrah and Deepak Chahar has thrown the Indian think thank into a quandary. With India likely to go in with three pacers in Australia for the T20 World Cup, the toss-up is going to be between Harshal Patel and Mohamed Shami as the third seamer. In Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Arshdeep Singh, India's first two pace options pick for themselves, but it will be interesting to see whether Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid opt for the experience of Shami or the more-trusted Harshal.
Harshal has been a regular feature for India post the last T20 World Cup, while Shami is yet to play a single T20I for India since their exit in the UAE. If this question was asked about a month ago, Harshal would have been the obvious choice. But the RCB pacer's dip in form, coupled by the fact that Bumrah is injured and India need someone experienced, who has bowled in Australia before and knows the conditions there to fill that void, makes it not that easy.
As India weigh in their combinations for their World Cup opener on Sunday, former Australia all-rounder Tom Moody is more in favour of Shami and wants the 32-year-old quick to play against Pakistan at the MCG. Moody opted for experience over current form and believes that given Shami's magical over against Australia in the warm-up makes him the obvious choice.
"I would be going with Shami. I'd just go with his experience. Obviously, Bhuvi and Arshdeep are the first two. I just think that in big tournaments, you back big players. And he is a big player with a lot of experience. He may be short with some volume in his bowling, but that one over he bowled against Australia would have gone a long way with regards to not so much the physical side of things, but definitely the mental side of things," Moody said on the Star Sports show 'Game Plan'.
Shami was expected to play in the home series against Australia and South Africa but had to miss out on his opportunity after contracting Covid. However, the India pacer was back training full tilt and recovered in time for the World Cup as the BCCI officially named him Bumrah's replacement. He was not part of the Playing XI during the Australia warm-up but came on to bowl the final over of the match. With Australia needing 11 to win, Shami picked up three wickets and affected a run out as India won by six runs. Still, with India's second warm-up game against New Zealand getting washed out, the chances of Shami playing appear bleak.
